1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to electronic signage and display systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Billboards and other types of large signs have long been part of the landscape in the United States and many other countries. These signs, typically outdoors, advertise products and services and are often found along highways, on buildings, and in other places that are readily viewable by the public. Traditional billboards provide static displays of printed matter that are manually placed and periodically replaced.
More recently, billboard systems have been used that feature light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and are essentially large-scale video screens capable of displaying any messages that they are programmed to display. These digital signage systems are far more versatile and can be quickly updated.
One issue is that zoning and other regulations for signage vary drastically from one jurisdiction to another. Because advertisers typically want to maximize the size of any particular sign, digital signs are typically custom ordered and custom built to meet requirements for a particular location. Since the digital signs are custom products, they often take a long time to manufacture, they are very expensive, the error cost of custom displays is very high, and replacing individual pixels or modules (i.e., the LEDs that make up the display) is difficult.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,992,037, the work of the present assignee and applicant, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a modular display system including a modular support framework and display modules that can be mounted in the framework and easily replaced. This system has a number of advantages that are set forth in the patent. However, while a modular support framework and removable display modules solve many problems associated with traditional custom digital display systems, that arrangement creates other issues. For example, programming each of the modules with its correct position within the larger display can be difficult and time-consuming.